iOS 18.2 Expected in December With These New Features

While the focus is currently on iOS 18 and iOS 18.1, Apple is already working on iOS 18.2 as well, and the update is expected to include several new features.

Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock
Below, we recap everything that we know about iOS 18.2.

iOS 18.2

Apple has been internally testing iOS 18.2 for at least a few months now, based on evidence of the software version in our website's analytics logs.

iOS 18.2 will likely be released in December, as that is when Apple said that it will be making Apple Intelligence available in localized English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the U.K., and support for those languages will likely be added in that update. Apple released iOS 15.2, iOS 16.2, and iOS 17.2 in December over the years.

Expected Features

Apple Intelligence in More Countries

Apple Intelligence December
As mentioned, iOS 18.2 should expand Apple Intelligence to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the U.K. for the first time.

In the U.S., Apple Intelligence will be available starting with iOS 18.1 on the iPhone 15 Pro models and all four iPhone 16 models.

iOS 18.1 is already available in beta for developers, and it includes Apple Intelligence features such as writing tools for proofreading text, notification summaries, suggested replies in the Messages app, the ability to record and transcribe phone calls, and a new "Clean Up" tool in the Photos app that can quickly remove objects from a photo.

Image Playground and Genmoji

ios 18 genmoji
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said two more Apple Intelligence features that were previewed earlier this year will be added in iOS 18.2, including Image Playground for generating images and Genmoji for generating custom emoji.

Here is how Apple describes Image Playground:

Produce fun, original images in seconds with the Image Playground experience right in your apps. Create an entirely new image based on a description, suggested concepts, and even a person from your Photos library. You can easily adjust the style and make changes to match a Messages thread, your Freeform board, or a slide in Keynote.

Here is how Apple describes Genmoji:

Make a brand-new Genmoji right in the keyboard to match any conversation. Provide a description to see a preview, and adjust your description until it's perfect. You can even pick someone from your Photos library and create a Genmoji that looks like them.

ChatGPT Integration With Siri

iOS 18 ChatGPT
Apple said that ChatGPT will be available through Siri before the end of the year, so this integration will likely go live with iOS 18.2.

With user permission, Siri will be able to show ChatGPT answers directly in response to questions and other prompts. ChatGPT will also be an option for Apple's system-wide Writing Tools feature, allowing users to generate text and images. Apple said ChatGPT will be powered by OpenAI's latest GPT-4o model on its platforms.

iPhone, iPad, and Mac users will be able to use ChatGPT for free, without creating an account, and ChatGPT Plus subscribers will be able to connect their accounts to access paid features on these devices. Apple said OpenAI will not store ChatGPT requests made from its devices, and it said users' IP addresses will be obscured.

Hearing Health Features on AirPods Pro 2

airpods pro 2 hearing aids
During its iPhone 16 event this week, Apple announced new hearing protection, hearing test, and hearing aid features that will be available on the AirPods Pro 2 starting "this fall" in more than 100 countries and regions, including the U.S., Germany, and Japan. Based on this timeframe, and since these features are not yet included in the iOS 18.1 developer beta, it is possible they will be released as part of iOS 18.2.

More

iOS 18.2 will likely include these additional new features:

  • Transactions, Updates, and Promotions categories in the Mail app
  • Robot vacuum cleaner support in the Home app
Related Roundups: iOS 18, iPadOS 18
Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
ipad air windows 11 arm

M2 iPad Air Runs Windows 11 ARM via Emulation, Thanks to EU Rules

Tuesday April 22, 2025 5:01 am PDT by
A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect. As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Only a Few Changes So Far

Monday April 21, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...
iphone 17 pro majin bu sky blue

iPhone 17 Pro Allegedly Coming in Sky Blue Color Used for MacBook Air

Tuesday April 22, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
Apple will unveil the iPhone 17 Pro in a new Sky Blue color, the same color that debuted on the latest M4 MacBook Air models Apple released in March. That's according to the leaker Majin Bu. Concept mockup from Majin Bu Writing on his website, Bu claims that "sources close to the supply chain confirm that several iPhone 17 Pro prototypes have been made in various colors, with Sky Blue...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...

Top Rated Comments

Dorv Avatar
8 months ago
The Personal Context stuff with Siri is easily the Intelligence thing I'm most looking forward to.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
giebe Avatar
8 months ago

I hope the EU will get its act together soon.
I'll be getting a 16 in October, but I'd like seeing some apple intelligence before Spring 2025.
I doubt it. iPhone should be cheaper in EU as it’s not supported with all features
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
8 months ago
I like the idea of the Hearing Health feature.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JippaLippa Avatar
8 months ago
I hope the EU will get its act together soon.
I'll be getting a 16 in October, but I'd like seeing some apple intelligence before Spring 2025.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
infinitejest Avatar
8 months ago

I hope the EU will get its act together soon.
I'll be getting a 16 in October, but I'd like seeing some apple intelligence before Spring 2025.
Probably not going to happen.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
antiprotest Avatar
8 months ago
I find that waiting fatigue is a real thing. Now I find that I don't even want this anymore. That has also happened in the past. Apple takes so long and so much longer than everyone else I stopped caring way before the time they rolled out whatever took them so long to roll out.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)